All hazards information distribution method and system, and method of maintaining privacy of distributed all-hazards information

• US 8,977,777 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2013
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Original Assignee: Cooper Technologies Company (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Inventors: Brabec, Frantisek, Drescher, David R., Ingraham, Edward E. II, Park, Daniel D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Whipple, Brian P
• Application Number:
  US13/914,521
• Publication Number:
  US 20130275624A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/005 with transmission via computer network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

An information distribution method includes: gathering all-hazards information into an information exchange from a first information source; gathering all-hazards information into the information exchange from a second information source; distributing the all-hazards information from the information exchange to a first independently-controlled alert network; distributing the all-hazards information from the information exchange to a second independently-controlled alert network.

Claims

1. An information distribution method, comprising:

receiving polling parameters from a plurality of information sources;

receiving all-hazards information from the plurality of information sources, the all-hazards information having a first plurality of formats, wherein receiving the plurality of formats comprises retrieving the all-hazards information by polling the plurality of information sources based on the polling parameters;

processing the all-hazards information into normalized all-hazards information having a second plurality of formats; and

electronically distributing a plurality of all-hazards messages corresponding to the normalized all-hazards information to a plurality of entities, wherein the normalized all-hazards information has substantially the same content as the all-hazards information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the all-hazards information comprises at least one of weather information, traffic information, earthquake information, epidemic information and fire information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining polling parameters for the one or more information sources.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the all-hazards information into the normalized all-hazards information comprises reducing the number of the first plurality of formats.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the all-hazards information into normalized all-hazards information comprises extracting payloads from the received all-hazards information.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising attaching a timestamp to the received all-hazards information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding visual or audio information to the received all-hazards information, wherein the received all-hazards information has a text-based format.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein electronically distributing the plurality of all-hazards messages to the plurality of entities comprises identifying entities that are subscribed to receive the plurality of all-hazards messages.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising maintaining subscription parameters for the plurality of entities.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a response to an all-hazards message of the plurality of hazards messages.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising identifying the all-hazards message in response to receiving the response.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising identifying an information source of the plurality of information sources associated with the all-hazards message.

2. An information exchange, comprising:

one or more first information receiving handlers that receive polling parameters;

one or more second information receiving handlers that receive all-hazards information having a first plurality of formats from a plurality of information sources;

one or more processors that convert the all-hazards information into normalized all-hazards information having a second plurality of formats, wherein the one or more processors are connected to the one or more second information receiving handlers, wherein the one or more processors comprise one or more poller daemons that retrieve the all-hazards information from the plurality of information sources based on the polling parameters; and

one or more information distributing handlers connected to the one or more processors, wherein the one or more information distributing handlers electronically distribute a plurality of all-hazards messages corresponding to the normalized all-hazards information to a plurality of entities.

14. The information exchange of claim 2, further comprising a push handler.

15. The information exchange of claim 2, further comprising one or more information source managers connected to the one or more poller daemons and configured to maintain a respective polling parameter corresponding to each information source of the plurality of information sources.

16. The information exchange of claim 2, wherein the one or more processors comprise a content extractor connected to the one or more second information receiving handlers, wherein the content extractor extracts payloads from the all-hazards information.

17. The information exchange of claim 2, wherein the one or more processors comprise at least one of an abbreviation expander, a translator, and a timestamp attacher.

18. The information exchange of claim 2, wherein the one or more processors comprise one or more information enhancers that add visual or audio information to the all-hazard information.

19. The information exchange of claim 2, wherein the one or more information distributing handlers comprise one or more message dispatchers and one or more subscription handlers and wherein the one or more subscription handlers are connected to the one or more message dispatchers.

20. The information exchange of claim 2, further comprising one or more response handlers configured to receive a response to an all-hazards message of the plurality of all-hazards messages.